There's Still Work to Do
by Wolf of the Crescent Moon
Summary: Dean Winchester has been tossed onto another Earth following the destruction of his own world at the hands of Jack. Distraught over the loss of Sam and Cas for the 1,000th time, the older Winchester resigns himself to an isolated existence living in a cabin deep in the woods. When Gabriel shows up though, Dean finds there's still work to do.
1. Chapter 1

The man sat looking over an old stump. Around the stump lying in the fresh powdered snow were exactly 20 pieces of what would become firewood.

Looking down at blistered hands, the man calculated what he'd need for the next day or two. A red axe leaned against the stump in front of him, the handle covered in condensation from heavy breathing.

"One more," the man said, standing up and popping his back.

Looking around, the man noticed he only had one more log to split anyway.

"Good timing," he said.

Placing the chilled wood from an oak tree on top of the chopping stump, the man stepped back. Sighing, he raised the axe high as his sore shoulders would allow him.

Then, with a grunt, he brought the edge down and split the log into two pieces.

Over the next half hour, he stacked them next to his cabin outside the kitchen window, stopping only to scratch his thick brown beard that hung half a foot under his chin.

Taking two logs with him, the man went inside. His front door closed behind him, the man took off his snowy boots and walked with his two logs into the kitchen. It sat on the west side of his cabin.

Kneeling on his kitchen floor, the man's knees popped. He ran the edges of his cold fingers along the top of an old iron wooden oven constructed in 1978.

Opening the hatch, a little warmth leaked out from embers barely clinging to life. The man tossed his logs into the oven and stirred around them with a poker to get a fire growing again.

He tossed a little crumpled newspaper inside and after a couple minutes had a decent flame built.

Closing his oven's hatch, the man stood and walked over to a cabinet. Pulling out a freezer bag, the man pulled out two last pieces of deer jerky and started to chew on one.

It was rough, almost too old to eat, but the man didn't care. It'd tide him over until he got a rabbit stew going.

As the man prepared his stew ingredients, he turned on an old orange radio and tuned into KUUL 96.1 FM out of Harrison.

He caught the station right at the top of the hour, and a meteorologist out of Springfield was giving the evening forecast.

"Looks like northern Arkansas will continue to see heavy snowfall through the night. It's not unusual for The Natural State to see snow in February, but his much? That's a little odd. The entire Ozark Mountains will see at least five inches, with Newton and Boone counties seeing more than 12 inches.

Bring the pets inside and make plans for school to be cancelled tomorrow. I'm Martie Hamond, and this has been your KHNV forecast."

The man's brain tuned out commercials ranging from a local carpet sale to the Harrison School District's upcoming bake sale. While he chopped vegetables a DJ came back from commercial break.

"It's 7:05 p.m., and I'm just getting things cranked up. You're rocking with Billy Shepherd on KUUL 96.1 FM," Billy said.

The man chopped up some tomatoes while his DJ spun through a top five awful Valentine's Day gift list. He chuckled a few times.

"When we come back, I'll tell you what brand of condoms has been proven to lead to the highest rate of unintended pregnancy. But right now, let's start out my shift with a song that peaked at number 11 on the _Billboard_ in 1977," Billy said.

Feeling the top of his stove for a split second, the man determined it was ready and put a can of beef gravy in a pot and began to cut some potatoes.

"Carry on my wayward sooooooon," Kansas sang on the radio.

A creaking floorboard behind him caused the man to turn.

The entire cabin was one room with the exception of a bathroom in the south corner of the home.

Turning, the man saw a bald man standing just inside the front door.

"Well I really shouldn't both coming up with some story about being lost and needing help, right?" the man said.

As the stranger opened his mouth, tiny fangs revealed themselves, and a little drool dripped down onto a black wool coat.

"No, no excuse needed," the man said looking down a his floorboards.

"Good. I'm tired of coming up with lies when I just want blood. I'd hoped to sneak up on you, but these pesky floorboards are just so old and squeaky," the vampire said.

"Yeah. . . yeah they are. That's why I like them," the man said, finding what he was looking for. He stepped about two feet left, and the vampire began to run across the floor at blinding speed.

The man in the cabin? He was just a little faster, having killed hundreds of vampires before. The man slammed his boot into the kitchen floorboard with a triangle carved in the corner.

Its edge flew up just in time to impale the vampire and stop him about six inches short of the cabin's owner.

He snarled but couldn't free himself.

"You really carved up a loose floorboard? Who does that?"

"Experienced hunters. That's who," the cabin owner said, reaching into his leather jacket and pulling out a machete.

"Don't see too many vampires here in Arkansas, but I've killed countless elsewhere," the cabin owner said.

With that, he severed the creature's head, and it fell onto the kitchen floor with a sickening plop.

Sighing, the man went to get his cleaning supplies. Before he'd returned, the sound of another creaking floorboard met his ears.

"Hello, Deano. Been a while," a familiar voice said.

The man turned and with his red eyes formed from years of sleepless nights, gallons of whiskey, and a pain so deep words didn't exist to describe the canyon's surface, looked upon a familiar archangel.

"Glad to see me?" the short archangel said, scratching his short brown hair.

Dean was speechless.

"What is this?" his raspy voice finally asked.

"Well this. . . this is a meeting I never thought I'd have in a place neither of us should have ever ended up in."

"You're dead, same as everyone else," Dean said.

"Believe it or not, I'm one of two people from our world who is still breathing," the angel said.

"Lucifer killed you, so you must be this world's Gabriel," Dean said, reaching into his leather jacket and pulling out an angel blade.

"Nope. I'm from Earth 715, same as you. In fact, we're the last survivors from that world. But you already knew that," Gabriel said.

Dean shook his head and went back to making stew.

"Hey, look. You're depressed, I get it. But listen, we need to talk. It's urgent," Gabriel said, putting a hand on Dean's shoulder.

He spun and slashed, causing a slim silver light to appear on Gabriel's shoulder.

"That really smarts, Deano. Why don't you put down the angel blade, and we'll talk?"

"I'm done talking. I don't care what Gabriel you are, or why you're here. I'm done with all this angel/demon business. I'm done with it all," Dean said.

Gabriel held out his hand, and a glass of whiskey appeared in it. He offered it to Dean.

"How about this? You drink, and I'll talk. If I haven't piqued your interest by the time that whiskey is gone, I'll leave. Deal?" Gabriel asked.

Dean spat into the sink and then angrily took the glass. Taking a big gulp, he saw the beverage slowly refill.

Looking up with an angry glare, the embattled hunter growled.

"It'll only refill up to one bottle. I promise," Gabriel said, placing his right hand on his heart.

"Scout's honor."

Shaking his head and taking another sip, Dean spun his fingers for Gabriel to get his spiel over with.

"God filled me in on the details, so I'm all caught up. You're probably under the impression Lucy killed me at that hotel back in 2009? Well, he didn't. Right before he struck the killing blow, dad flung me into this world. And I've been stuck here since. That catches you up on me," Gabriel said.

Dean finished his first glass, and it slowly started to refill.

"Fascinating. But I don't find my interest piqued," Dean said.

"I'm not done yet. Now, God recently reached out to me on angel radio and filled me in on everything up until the destruction of our home dimension," Gabriel said. "He told me to tell you he's sorry about everything, and believe me, kiddo. I am too."

Dean had heard enough.

"Oh, well I'm glad he's sorry. That really makes me feel better! I've been sitting in this shit cabin outside in the middle of the Ozarks for seven damn years, but at least God feel sorry," Dean said.

"Yeah, I know buddy. You need to lash out, so let's get this done."

Dean grabbed Gabriel by the neck and slammed him into the cabin's fridge so hard the entire unit rattled.

"You have no idea what I've need. You have no idea what I've lost. You have no idea. . . about anything in the shithole that is my life, Gabriel!"

Dean held the angel blade to Gabriel's throat and continued to scream at the top of his lungs.

"I watched Sam and Cas die for the thousandth time, I failed to stop Lucifer for the thousandth time, and right before Jack blew my whole dimension to smithereens, he dumped me on this Earth alone. So I've gotten to stew in my pain for nearly a decade. Mom's gone. Dad's gone. Sam's gone. Cas is gone. Everything I've ever known, loved, or hated is gone, so you tell me one good reason why I shouldn't slash your throat with this blade and then put a bullet in my head, Gabriel!"

Gabriel slowly worked his arms up as he looked Dean in the eyes, his bloodshot and all but empty green eyes. And then he held those hands in front of Dean's face.

"You're carrying around all this poison, Dean. It's been eating you alive for the past seven years, and I'm sorry. I'm truly very sorry, kiddo. Yeah, Dad screwed up by being gone surfing the cosmos with Amara, but I'm here now. And I'll do everything I can to help with the pain. You're not alone anymore. I found you," Gabriel said.

Dean said nothing.

"You've endured so much. Humans weren't meant to carry the pain you have, Dean. So believe me. I get that you're broken, but I'm here to help put the pieces back together as best I can," Gabriel said.

"Sam?"

"Vaporized along with the Heaven of our world," Gabriel said.

"Mom?"

"Same."

"Dad?"

"Same."

"Cas?"

"Vaporized along with The Empty of our world," Gabriel said.

"Crowley?"

"Same."

"Bobby?"

"Exists in this world, but he never became a hunter. This world's Mary was infertile and died in a car crash with John about two years before Sam would have been born. He's not your Bobby," Gabriel said.

"Then how the Hell are you going to put the pieces back together, huh? You have no one for me to reconnect with, Gabriel. What do you expect? I'm going to share a few drinks with you, and we'll be good to go?" Dean asked, pushing the blade a sliver into Gabriel's neck so silver light appeared.

"You know, I should have known playing the apologetic comforter wouldn't work with you. You've always needed a swift kick in the ass when you were down, Dean," Gabriel said.

With that, the archangel put both his hands on Dean's head, and they began to glow gold. Memories the Winchester had hastily managed to wall off upon arrival in this world came cracking through like rays of light into a dusty room hidden by only a raggedy curtain.

Hundreds of memories played before Dean in high speed. Everything from birthdays on the road with Sam to John's last appearance following the slaying of Azazel. There were hugs, beers, and so much greasy food even Dean's intestines shuddered momentarily.

How Dean felt every time Castiel died and later came back, how he felt every time Sam died and later came back, and then how Dean felt every time he lost a loved one and they didn't return. Charlie, Joe, Bobby, and countless others. And then there faces, hundreds and hundreds of faces he couldn't place.

Then, he recognized one, someone he saved from a rugaru outside Dayton, Ohio. On the left was a little girl he'd rescued from a pack of werewolves. And over the course of what felt like an eternity, every soul Dean had ever saved appeared before the older Winchester in the blackness of his mind.

"What do you all want?" Dean asked.

They said nothing, just looking at Dean and smiling. Then. . . slowly, applause came. It was quiet at first before eventually growing into a coliseum's roar. Cheers came next, and finally the roar of the crowd washed over Dean like a tide of euphoria.

"These are all the people you saved with your 38 years back home, Dean. And they're all grateful for what you did, even if it only bought them another year or two. You still saved them," Gabriel said, appearing next to Dean in the black.

"What's your point?" Dean asked, a solitary tear finally streaking down his left cheek and dropping off his nose.

When his head felt like it would explode, Dean was returned to his kitchen, the smell of burning wood entering his nostrils once more.

"The point is your family business, Dean. Saving people, hunting things. I need you to do that again. . . here," Gabriel said.

Dean raised an eyebrow.

"You expect me to just snap to it? Start saving people again because you asked nicely? No. I told you; I'm done. No more hunting, no more saving people that'll just inevitably die later, and no more apocalypse. I've lost too much, and I just don't care anymore. Do it yourself," Dean said.

Now Gabriel grabbed Dean and moved him across the room, slamming him into a nearby wall so hard the entire cabin shook.

Dean felt the wind rush out of him.

"I know you've suffered Dean, and I'm sorry. I really am. But you're not the first person to lose his brother. You think you can't function without Sam, but the truth is you can. You've always been able to. I lost my brothers too, kiddo, but here I am, trying to save people because they need more. They need you," Gabriel said.

"I don't care what they need," Dean said, sticking his face right into Gabriel's.

Gabriel sneered and then slammed Dean into the wall again.

"I know the old Dean is in there somewhere, and I'm not leaving until I've pulled him out. So we can dance this dance 1,000 times, or you can save us both a little time and stop with the pity party," Gabriel said.

"Piss off, asshole," Dean muttered.

"You want so badly to die, but you're not done yet, Dean. You still have a shot at a happy ending in this world," Gabriel said.

Dean sneered now.

"I can have a happy ending anytime I want. There's this little massage parlor just across the border in Missouri I tend to frequent," Dean said.

Gabriel's hands glowed gold again, and he put one on Dean's forehead.

"Dammit, Dean, remember what John taught you to do! He taught you how to be a soldier, how to pick up and carry on even when things got bad, really bad. You're a Winchester, that's what you were bred to do. It's what I need you to do here," Gabriel yelled.

Memories of John training Dean, tossing him to the ground and picking him back up again came flooding into Dean's mind.

"Come on, Dean. Get off your ass. There's work to do," John's voice yelled.

In one memory, John was teaching Dean how to make a sawed off shotgun. In another, he was showing Dean exactly where to cut on the neck to decapitate a vampire. In the final memory, John's ghost stood before Sam and Dean right after Azazel had been killed.

"I'm so proud of my boys," he said.

"Enough!" Dean yelled, coming back to his kitchen again. "What the Hell do you want from me?"

"There he is. That's the Dean Winchester I need," Gabriel said. "I need you to start saving people and hunting things in this world, Dean."

Dean looked over his oven and sighed.

"That's the difference between you and Sam. I kept Sam trapped in one day for years showing him what life would be like without you. He couldn't handle it. But you? John, Jr? You keep on keeping on. It sucks for you, but there's still work to do, Dean Winchester."

Handing him another glass, Gabriel looked into Dean's eyes and saw life there for the first time since he arrived in this world.

Dean took the glass, and Gabriel stepped back a few feet.

"This Earth is interesting. It's mostly like ours with one major exception. . . no Sam and Dean Winchester. And no apocalypses. It seems Lucifer and Michael both rule Heaven and Hell with a peace arrangement. Angels and demons stay out of each other's way in this world.

This world's Gabriel? Apparently he died to make that happen, and out of grief, my two brothers signed a treaty," Gabriel said.

"Then what do you need me for?" Dean asked, finishing his glass. This time, it didn't refill.

"There are still monsters here, and one group in particular is getting to be a major problem."

"Which ones?"

"It's the vamps, Dean. There are hundreds of them, and their nests are merging in the city's to become major covens. They're sucking people dry faster than the hunters can keep up with, and it's all because of their leader," Gabriel said.

"The alpha?"

"No. In this world the alpha was killed off centuries ago by a younger vampire at the time. His name was Vlad the Impaler," Gabriel said.

"Sounds kinda gay," Dean said.

Gabriel laughed for a solid minute at that line.

"Yeah, that's why he changed his name. He goes by Dracula now."

"Dracula? Seriously? You want me to kill freakin' Dracula?" Dean asked.

Gabriel nodded.

"Start wiping out nests and then figure out how to kill the leader. Left unchecked, these vamps will overtake this entire country, Dean."

Dean looked down at the floorboards and sighed.

"I can see you're struggling not to ask the question, 'What's in it for me?'"

The Winchester looked back up at Gabriel and nodded.

"How about this?" Gabriel said, snapping his fingers.

Dean looked around, and nothing was different. The older Winchester shrugged, waiting for something to change.

"Well?" he asked.

Then, outside, Dean heard a sound he thought he'd never hear again. It was the sound of an engine starting.

Looking at the front door and then back at Gabriel, Dean's mouth slowly opened.

"Go look," Gabriel said.

Slowly walking outside, Dean saw her. Baby was sitting in the snow.

"How did you find her?" Dean asked.

"Well, she's not the original. I remade her from your memories, but everything should be the same. And while I can't bring back your brother or Cas. . . maybe this will help," Gabriel said, snapping his fingers a second time.

Dean continued to run his fingers over Baby's hood until he heard a voice behind him say, "Howdy brother."

Slowly turning, Dean's eyes fell upon a vampire with a beard smaller than his own. The vampire was wearing a black flat cap and corduroy jacket.

"Be. . . Benny?" Dean asked, trying to stifle a sob.

"It's me, brother," he said.

Now Dean turned to Gabriel.

"I'll let him fill you in on that. I have to split," Gabriel said.

"You're not coming?"

"No, Dean. I gotta keep moving. I can't let this world's Michael and Lucifer find me. They're not exactly going to be thrilled a few beings from another dimension spilled over into theirs. So, I try not to use my abilities often and move quick," Gabriel said.

"Wait a second. . . what happens if they find me and Benny?"

"Benny and I, brother," Benny corrected.

"Don't make me send you to this world's purgatory," Dean threatened, pointing a finger at him.

"You let me worry about that, kiddo. I'm working on a few things that should save our skin in the end," Gabriel said, winking. "You just keep working on that happy ending."

Dean was about to get in the car when he turned back to Gabriel again.

"That's not the first time you said that. What are you talking about?"

Gabriel smiled and said, "I'm talking about Lisa."

"Lisa?" Dean thought for a moment. "Braeden?"

"And on comes the light bulb. Yes, your long lost love. From what God tells me, you royally screwed that up back in our world. But this Lisa? You can start from scratch and fall in love all over again when this is all said and done," Gabriel said.

Dean looked at the snow falling from the sky and thought this over.

"And if you somehow manage to avoid screwing this one up, I can even merge her with your memories of the Lisa in the other world," Gabriel said.

The older Winchester looked up and was speechless.

"Soul mates exist, Dean, and she's definitely yours. But you're gonna have to move quick," Gabriel said.

"Why?" Dean asked.

"Because she's being held by a nest in Fort Wayne, Indiana. You'd better get going. That's a 10 hour drive," Gabriel said.

"Can't you just poof us there?" Dean asked.

"No. Can't use my abilities anymore than I already have. You'll be fine. They haven't sucked her dry yet. Get moving," Gabriel said and vanished into the snowy night.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean yelled and ran for Baby, diving inside.

Benny hopped into the passenger seat, and Dean peeled out of the snowy yard and onto a little two-lane highway that'd carry him up to Indiana.


	2. Chapter 2

Baby raced along the two-lane highway heading north. It was late, or early, depending on how Dean was sleeping that week. Overall, his sleep levels weren't great. It was a win for Dean if he got three hours of sleep in one 24-hour period.

The 275-horsepower 327-cubic-inch Turbo Fire V-8 engine roared through the night as Dean continued on.

For the first few hours, Benny and Dean rode in silence, each unsure what to say.

About an hour before sunrise, Dean cleared his throat, but no words came out. So, Benny took a swing.

"Brother, it sure is good to see you again," the vampire said.

"Good to see you too, Benny. I guess we should get it out of the way now. . . how exactly am I seeing you again?"

Now it was Benny's turn to clear his throat. He coughed and said, "Damndest fluke if I ever did see one, Dean. When our world was being destroyed, it was like the universe was tearing itself a new one."

Dean nodded and said, "That'd be Jack's doing."

"Jack?"

"He was. . . the son of Lucifer. He was half angel and to stop his father once and for all, he destroyed our entire world," Dean said, remembering Jack tossing him through a portal into this world just before the final explosion.

"Wow. We've seen some messed up shit, Dean. But that? That takes the cake," Benny said.

Dean looked out at the road ahead and said nothing.

Benny stopped looking at Dean and continued his story, "Anyway, seems right before Purgatory went up in smoke, tiny streaks of golden light were popping up here and there. The whole world was shaking somethin' fierce, and I stumbled forward, touching the light. Next thing I know, I'm somewhere in Arizona. . . this world's Arizona."

The older Winchester looked over at Benny and then down at the vampire's jacket. He seemed to accept his explanation.

"I didn't know what happened. I assumed I'd somehow ended up back on Earth. And I guess I did. . . just not our Earth. I tried to call you, but none of the phone numbers I memorized reached you," Benny said.

"So what'd you do?" Dean asked.

"I sort of wandered aimlessly around the west, trying to stay out of trouble, just like last time I was topside. Eventually, Gabriel found me and told me where I'd ended up. Then we set out to find you. He said God told him you'd ended up here, but we didn't know where. Turns out, you were in some warded shack in the woods."

Dean coughed and looked down at the stereo.

"Yeah well. . . after all I'd been through, I didn't want anyone bothering me. Truth be told I just planned to stay in that cabin until I died. Figured I'd end up in this world's Heaven or something. I didn't really care anymore. I was done with angels, demons, monsters, and all that shit. After losing Sam and Cas again. . . I was just done," Dean said.

Benny cautiously lifted a hand and patted Dean's right shoulder.

"I'm sorry, brother. You've been dealt a raw deal more times than I can count," Benny said.

"It's just par for the course. Gabriel reminded me of something tonight. I'm a Winchester. . . and that means shutting up and getting the job done. Even. . . even if I'm the last Winchester still breathing," Dean said, scoffing.

They rode in silence for another hour, and Benny struck up another conversation.

"Brother, if you don't mind me asking. . . who is Lisa?"

Dean thought back to the Lisa he'd known and loved back home. She was a sweet yoga instructor from Indiana. In their world the two of them had a son. . . Ben. When Sam sacrificed himself by taking Lucifer into the pit, Lisa took Dean in and comforted him.

She was the only woman Dean had truly loved. And Dean. . . well he left her behind, asking Castiel to erase her memory of him, Ben too. He knew that was the only way to keep her safe, but damn did it hurt.

Deep down, Dean wasn't sure what caused him more pain. The fact that Sam and Cas were beyond his reach or the fact Lisa was within his reach, but he'd never again allow himself near her for reasons of safety.

Now though? Fuck it. He'd spent seven damn years in that cabin only speaking once a month to the cashier at Bob's Market when he went into town. If this world's Lisa was just as much his soul mate as the one back home, he'd save her on the off chance he could still end up with a happy life.

"Dean?"

Benny's voice brought Dean back to the present.

"Yeah. . . Lisa. Her name is Lisa Braeden. She's a yoga instructor from Indiana, and back in our world, we had a son together named Ben," Dean said.

"So. . . Gabriel wants us to save her in this world so you two can fall in love and live happily ever after? That it?"

"Something like that, I guess," Dean said.

"What happened to her back in our world? I don't remember you ever talking about her," Benny asked.

Dean sighed and squeezed the steering wheel of Baby tight.

"I ummm. . . had Cas erase her memories of me. She was being targeted by demons, and it was the only way I could guarantee her safety," Dean said.

Benny nodded as Dean gritted his teeth.

"Well brother. . . I understand that sentiment. But you know what? It's a load of crock, Dean. That stupid cliche letting the girl go to protect her? It's crap. It's the easy way out," Benny said.

Dean looked over at the friend he'd just gotten back and snapped, "You don't know a damn thing about this, Benny. So I'd just shut my mouth if I were you."

"What's a matter, Dean? Is it too hard to realize I'm right about this?" Benny asked.

"Benny, I swear to God-" Dean yelled, thinking back to what Sam said.

"Dean, you know you've pulled some shady crap before, but this has got to be the worst. Whitewashing their memories?" Sam's words came back to Dean right after he asked Castiel to erase Lisa and Ben's memories.

Dean remembered threatening to break Sam's nose if he ever mentioned Lisa or Ben again, and to his credit, the younger Winchester never did. But Benny? The cajun vamp had a different relationship with Dean.

"If you really loved her, it seems to me like you would have stuck by her side and protected her from more demon attacks, Dean!" Benny yelled.

Now Baby's brakes squealed as Dean mashed the pedal, and the car spun until it came to a rest on the opposite side of the road.

One driver honked and sped past Dean, but other than that, the Missouri road was deserted at this hour.

Dean jumped out, as did Benny. They clearly had words to express without the use of vocal chords.

"Did you come find me after seven years just to give me shit, Benny?" Dean asked.

"I came to get my brother back on his feet. But it seems he's not quite there yet. Not that I blame him. It ain't as if being a pussy and hiding in a cabin for seven years just disappears overnight," Benny said.

Dean grabbed Benny by his jacket and slammed him into baby.

"You're talking out of your ass, and it's about to get you into some truly nasty pain," Dean said, his eyes bulging with anger.

Benny shoved Dean back across the highway with ease, and the older Winchester fell into a pile of snow.

"Don't bullshit me, Dean. We spent an entire year fighting in Purgatory together. There wasn't a monster we couldn't take together. You don't pull this crap with someone whom you forged that tight a bond with," Benny said. You took the easy way out with this Lisa woman, and it has haunted you since. Now if you're going to make the same mistake, maybe you don't need to go save this woman."

Dean rushed from the snow and tackled Benny into the driver's side door of Baby.

At this, Benny picked Dean up and pile drived him into the ground.

"All that blood spilled in Purgatory? Remember? Every second of every day was a fight for our lives. No food. No water. Just constant battle and running through the woods. Can you see it, Dean?"

Dean's mind went back to that hellhole. They slaughtered hundreds of vamps, werewolves, rougarous, and more. Dirt, trees, blood, fog, and monsters. That's about all Purgatory was. But for the monsters who loved an eternal hunt? It was a purity only achievable through the survival of the fittest.

Dean slunk his shoulders and then delivered an uppercut to Benny before the vampire could react. From there, Dean kicked the side of his left knee in, causing Benny to drop to the ground.

"You haven't seen it, Benny. You haven't seen a portion of what I have. Where do you get off being the judge of-" Dean was interrupted by Benny tripping him to the ground and then pouncing on the fallen Winchester.

After a few punches to the face, Dean grunted and managed to reach into his side pocket, grabbing a small pocket knife.

Stabbing Benny in the gut, Dean took advantage of the vampire's distraction and shoved him off.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, brother," Benny said, pulling the knife off and dropping it on the roadway. Blood poured out onto the snow next to Baby.

"Here comes better," Dean yelled, punching Benny in the gut.

He expected the vampire to fold over, but instead, the cajun kneed Dean in the face and grabbed him by the shoulder.

With all of his vampiric strength, Benny picked Dean up and hurled him into a nearby tree. Dean slammed into the trunk and slowly sank to the ground, his back hurting something fierce from the impact.

When he looked up, Benny was on him again and picking the older Winchester up by the throat.

Dean struggled to breathe, feeling the strength leaving his body.

"Goddammit, Dean. Did Sammy always have this much trouble getting you to admit you were wrong?" Benny asked.

Dean didn't respond, he just wanted to kick Benny. He got a couple kicks in before the vampire slammed him back into the tree again.

The world was spinning around Dean now, and he cursed under his breath.

 _Did Gabriel really bring Benny back just to kill me?_ Dean thought.

"Are you listening now, Dean?"

Wheezing, the Winchester nodded, and Benny dropped his ass onto the snow just in front of the cedar tree Dean had been slammed into.

"Dean, when I fell in love with Andrea, I was happy for the first time in decades. If Lisa made you half as happy, she was worth fighting for. But you didn't. You cast her aside and made up some bullshit about protecting her.

What did you really do, brother? You just created more misery. . . for her and yourself. I could have left Andrea behind in hopes The Old Man wouldn't find her, but that wouldn't have been protecting her. Protecting her meant staying by her side, to face danger together. In the end that got us both killed, but you know what? Of all the things I regretted while I was in Purgatory, staying by Andrea's side wasn't one of them," Benny said.

Dean coughed and sucked in air, but he still listened to every word Benny had to say.

"If you're just gonna pull the same crap with this Lisa. . . maybe it's best she dies in that vampire nest she's in right now. You don't deserve another shot at happiness in that instance, brother. And the Dean I know understands that. My Dean understands after everything he's lost, he can't repeat the same mistakes of the past," Benny said.

"What's your point?" Dean asked in a raspy voice.

"What are you going to do if you save this Lisa and more trouble pops up? This world's Michael or Lucifer come gunning for her? Will you cast her aside to protect her again?" Benny asked.

Dean thought back to his world's Lisa. If it hadn't been for losing Sam, that time he spent with them, living a normal life, would have been among the happiest periods of his life.

And why had he hopped into Baby and gunned the engine at the mere mention of Lisa's name from Gabriel if not because deep down buried underneath the miles of cholesterol and calamitous memories that filled Dean's chest. . . he wanted another chance at happiness with her.

At last it occurred to Dean what Benny had spent the last half hour trying to convey to him. His last friend in the world just wanted him to do things right this time.

"Okay, Benny. I get it," Dean said.

Benny extended a hand and helped Dean up, handing him a rag to wipe the blood from his face.

"Thanks," Dean said.

"Anytime, brother," Benny said.

Dean wandered back to Baby holding his back and muttering.

"Damn vamp strength," he wheezed, shutting his door.

"I did think you were mighty foolish to pick a fight with me, brother. You saw me fight every day for a year when we were trapped in Purgatory," Benny said.

"Shut up, bitch," Dean muttered, getting on the road again.

"Anyone ever tell you you're a jerk?" Benny asked.

At this, Dean stopped. He glanced over at Benny and didn't see the vampire in the passenger seat. Instead, it was Sammie.

"Jerk," Sam said, with an eerie smirk that caused such an ache in Dean's heart he didn't breathe for 90 seconds.

"Dean?" the Sam said.

Dean blinked, and there sat Benny where Sammie had previously been.

"Yeah, what is it, Benny?"

"Just wondering what that was goin' on in your head. You didn't say anything for a solid two minutes," Benny said.

"It's nothing," Dean said.

They rode on in silence until they got to the Indiana border. At this point the sun was high in the sky, and Benny had a moment of clarity.

"Uh. . . Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Did Gabriel happen to tell you where your girlfriend was being held?" Benny asked.

Dean thought back to the cabin and realized his vampire friend was friend.

"Son of a bitch! Gabriel, I'm praying to you. Listen here, archangel. You didn't give me an address for where Lisa is being kept. If you can hear this, you better cough that up now or so help me-" Dean's beautiful prayer was interrupted by the radio kicking on inexplicably.

"That's right! We've got your best printing deals in Fort Wayne! Come on down to 1976 S. Belmont Way to Maximum Ink!" a commercial played.

The commercial played on loop until Dean and Benny put two and two together.

"Works for me," Dean said.

Then the radio kicked over to a different song, and a nice baritone voice rang out through the car singing, "What can I say except you're welcome?"

Dean tried to turn the radio off, but it wouldn't until the song was complete.

"I hate that angel," Dean muttered.

At exactly 10:07 a.m., Baby floored it into the parking lot of a large metal building on the south side of Fort Wayne. The front portion contained the store, one story tall with few windows. The back half was a warehouse for, presumably, printing equipment.

Dean and Benny knew better, though. This was all a front for a vamp nest.

"You ready for this Benny?" Dean asked.

"What's the plan, brother?" Benny asked.

Dean reached into the glove box, praying Gabriel had gotten every detail in Baby down to the cassette collection. He breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled out a couple tapes.

"Best of '68?" Benny asked, reading one of the labels.

"That'll do nicely," Dean said, popping it into the stereo and cranking up Steppenwolf. Dean mashed the gas pedal, and Baby's back tires spun up smoke in the parking lot. The Impala raced forward for the front door.

"The plan, Benny. . . is to cut the head off of every single bloodsucking freak in this place," Dean said.

"Hey now," Benny said.

"Present company excluded, of course," Dean said.

Baby smashed through the front glass doors and raced into the store, hitting the front counter and coming to a stop.

"You know one things Earth has over Purgatory, Dean?"

"What's that?"

"You get a few extra seconds to really plan a cool entrance," Benny said.

As they got out of the car, half a dozen vamps bared their fangs and ran at the car.

"Who the Hell are you?" one screamed.

Dean pulled out a machete from inside his coat and smiled.

"Dean 'fucking' Winchester, that's who," he said, cutting the head off a rather fat vampire.

Benny bared his own fangs and pulled out his own weapon, a relic from his shared history with Dean. It was a stick with four individual blades stacked one after another. He'd crafted it and used it to fight side by side with the older Winchester.

The store was full of white printing equipment and had a concrete floor. It didn't take long before all that was stained red with blood. At least 14 bodies littered the floor, and Benny held the last vamp against the front counter.

"You dare turn against our master?" the blonde woman screeched. "Dracula will strip the flesh from your body for this."

"Funny thing about that," Benny said, baring his fangs. "I ain't got a master. Hell, I've never even met your Dracula. . . but I suspect we will before long."

"We're looking for a woman, long black hair and teeth so white even your dingiest nest couldn't dim them out," Dean said.

"Piss off," the vamp said, baring her own fangs.

"Tell you what. If you tell me where she is, I'll let you walk out that front door," Dean said.

The woman with a nametag that read, "Tonya" thought this over carefully. Benny still had a tight hold on her blue uniform vest, keeping her against the counter.

"Most of our supply is dead. Scouts went out to fetch more. But I think there's a woman matching your description in the back, behind the 'employees only' door," Tonya said.

"What's her name?" Benny asked.

"How the Hell should I know? Do you know the name of every cow you've ever eaten?" she asked.

Dean frowned at this and raised his blade.

"I- I think it's Lisa, okay! I'm sorry," Tonya said. "You promised to let me go."

Dean grabbed her by the arm and dragged her over to the front door. Once they were in the parking lot, Tonya turned to leave, but she found Dean's grip still strong.

"I promised you'd walk through the front door. And now you have," Dean said, cutting her head off before she could object.

Walking back inside, Dean and Benny kicked down the 'employees only' door behind the front counter.

The warehouse was about 20 feet wide and 50 feet long. While a few industrial printers were stashed off to the side, the dim room was mostly full of human corpses Dean and Benny knew were drained of blood.

"Looks like quite an operation, brother," Benny said.

The humans were hooked up to various IVs, one to keep them drugged, another to drain their blood. . . slowly.

"So this is what the future looks like in Dracula's America," Dean muttered.

He scanned the room and at last came to the last living human, a woman in the back corner that made Dean's heart skip a beat.

She was reclined in a red leather chair taking shallow breaths.

"Lisa!" Dean yelled and ran over to.

Two vampires leaped out of the shadows and tackled Dean to the floor halfway across the room.

"Not so fast, hero!" one said, a redheaded man in his 30s. "Did you think you'd just bust in here and save this lady? You know what we do to cattle rustlers like yourself?"

This was the second time someone had referred Dean's soulmate as a cow, and he'd heard enough.

He reached up bit one vampire's neck open with all his strength. The vamp backed off, freeing his left hand, which he used to punch the other vampire holding him down. It didn't back off as easy, but Benny yanked her off. Then, he grunted and ripped her skull clean off the body.

Dean was up now and had his machete again. He chopped the redheads arms off and then pinned the vamp against the back wall.

"You bastard! You think you and your traitor friend here can stop what's coming? We've already taken over a number of cities! It won't be long before Dracula controls the entire midwest," the redhead spewed.

"This world doesn't know me, but let me set the record straight. I'm Dean Winchester, and I eat pussy vampires like yourself for breakfast. I've killed werewolves, ghouls, shapeshifters, angels, demons, leviathans, gods, goddesses, and all manner of beast, least of which are vampires. I've stopped more apocalypses than I can count, and I'll kill every last one of you like it's child's play. Killing your nest was a piece of cake, and I'll cut Dracula's head off and put it on a spike with half as much effort, I assure you," Dean yelled.

Then, he decapitated the readhead and ran over to Lisa.

Unhooking her carefully from the IV, Dean watched her come to.

"Who. . ." she asked, fading in and out.

"Sssshhhh. It's okay, Lis. I got you," Dean said, taking off his jacket and putting it around her shoulders.

Her brown eyes opened briefly and searched Dean's face, trying to figure out the identity of her rescuer.

Aside from a few cuts and at least two pounds of dust on her cheeks, this Lisa identical to the one Dean fell in love with back on his Earth.

Still, he knew that she didn't know him. But he didn't care. He lifted her up and held her close. Her arms wrapped around Dean's shoulders, and he stifled a small yelp. As he carried her out to Baby with Benny in tow, Dean could stop the noise in his throat, but he couldn't stop the tears forming in his eyes.

For the first time in seven long isolated years, he'd been given a win. And that was the most important thing in the world to Dean Winchester right now.


End file.
